Herbert W Armstrong

   The greatest Newscaster of all time said we can prognosticate tomorrow's weather, but, He asked, can we forecast what will happen to us in world events?

   On every TV news program they go to great lengths to describe TODAY'S weather, and forecast tomorrow's, and the coming weekend. You and I need to take a look at the world we live in TODAY—and see what GOD has prophesied for tomorrow and the next day.

   WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

   We have had two world wars. They have changed the world we live in MORE THAN WE REALIZE!

   Look at the world NOW for a moment. It has come to social COLLAPSE! The institution of marriage and the family structure has BROKEN DOWN! The "new morality" (immorality) has swept the world. Violence has entered the HOME. Police chiefs will tell you more murders occur in the HOME than any other place—children against parents and parents against children. Husband kills wife and wife murders husband. Crime stalks the land everywhere.

   Go back to our first parents. God had instructed them in HIS WAY OF LIFE. It could be summed up in the word "GIVE"—outflowing LOVE toward others, but first of all toward GOD. They encountered Satan. He sold them on THE WAY OF "GET"—love of SELF, competition and even violence toward others. God gave them the knowledge of what is GOOD as well as what is evil. They took to themselves determination of the knowledge of what is GOOD and what is EVIL—rejecting GOD'S WAY.

   Then God drove them out of the garden of Eden, lest they take of the tree of life (the Holy Spirit which leads one in GOD'S WAY). God barred re-entrance and access to THE WAY of God's Holy Spirit and eternal salvation for 6,000 years—that is, to all but the exceeding FEW God would specially call to His service and eternal salvation. Others are not JUDGED until after the 6,000 years, which are now almost over.

   This left mankind to his own ideas. God said, "I have cut you and your children off from me and my teaching of the RIGHT WAY. Go, form your own ideas of right and wrong, led and swayed by Satan. You have rejected me as your GOD. Go form your own concepts of gods. Form your own religions. You have rejected my GOVERNMENT over you. Go, form your own unworkable forms of governments. You have rejected me as Teacher of knowledge of truth and right education. Go, form your own fund of knowledge and your own schools and methods of dissemination of your false knowledge inspired by Satan. You have rejected my teaching of morality, family life and society. Go, form your own codes of morality and your own kind of social order.

   "Satan will guide you, so you will in fact build SATAN'S world. But he will deceive you into thinking you live in GOD'S world. He will deceive you into thinking HE is God and that there really is no devil—yet he will make himself the god of your world! You will be deceived into false religions, false salvation, false knowledge.

   "Out of this world of Satan's I shall call a very few—one out of many thousands —to whom I will reveal my TRUTH, grant repentance, faith and the gift of my Holy Spirit, to prepare them by special service to become kings and priests in my KINGDOM, ruling in MY GOVERNMENT for a thousand years.

   "After that, I will bring back to flesh-and-blood mortal life all others, when THE KINGDOM OF GOD rules the earth and Satan shall be banished. I shall then open their eyes to TRUTH, grant them repentance and faith, and many or most shall be saved in eternal life!"

   Brethren and co-workers with Christ, we are now very near the END of that first 6,000 years. Satan's world nears its END! Satan knows better than we that he now has but a short time left to deceive this world!

   We are at the TIME OF THE END of this present world! Christ is coming soon in supreme POWER and GLORY to banish Satan and rule all nations with the KINGDOM OF GOD.

   The time has come for you and me to BE READY for His coming! Ready to be made IMMORTAL—made sons of GOD—born into the GOD FAMILY. There is no time to lose! Satan knows better than we that he now has but a short time left.

   Look at his world NOW! Its civilization has crumbled! Governments of nations are being overthrown approximately one a month! There are revolutions in Asia, Africa, Central America.

   When Jesus was on earth, He was asked about this END TIME. His disciples asked, "When shall these things be and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the age?"

   Jesus answered, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For MANY shall come in my name, saying that I (Jesus) am the Christ, and shall deceive many."

   Now, how could many come preaching that Jesus is CHRIST—and yet deceiving MANY? This is Satan's world. Satan is the great DECEIVER. The world is DECEIVED. Satan has allowed the man-formed religions to know about Christ —to preach in His name, to proclaim that Jesus is CHRIST.

   Just this morning I heard a religious television program. They preached about Christ. They preached about prophecy FROM THE BIBLE. Satan himself quoted the Bible when tempting Jesus (Matt. 4:6-7), but Satan put a wrong meaning into it—and so do HIS PREACHERS (II Cor. 11:14-15;—which you should read).

   These, with many wars around the world, Jesus said (Matt. 24:8), are the BEGINNING of events at the time of the END.

   Then He said, "And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then (soon following that) shall the end come."

   And then—WHAT? Following the proclaiming of this very Gospel OF THE KINGDOM, shall come the GREAT TRlBULATlON—a time of world trouble— especially on the U.S. and Britain (Jer. 30:7)—a trouble so great NO HUMAN WOULD BE SAVED ALIVE UNLESS GOD CUT THE TROUBLE SHORT (Matt. 24:21-22). Then false preachers will be multiplied (verse 24).

   This false religious TV program was preaching on God's Holy Days and Festivals, but he totally MISREPRESENTED their MEANING! For example, he said the Passover was fulfilled and ended in Christ—therefore no longer in force. He talked about the Feast of Tabernacles, putting a ridiculous and twisted interpretation on its meaning, with some imaginary event to happen in about 2 1/2 years! Yet thousands will gullibly accept this, hook, line, and sinker!

   This particular TV program, like all others except The WORLD TOMORROW, made Christianity a religion of GETTING. There are only TWO broad, general WAYS or philosophies of living. Satan's way is GETTING—TAKING. God's way of life is GIVING—or outflowing LOVE to God and to neighbor. The FALSE prophets of Satan talk about GETTING—that is, RECEIVING Christ. They talk about Jesus, but say little about God the Father or our special relationship to Him. They are already "born again." They are already in THE KINGDOM OF GOD, for they represent falsely that RECEIVING Christ (GETTING) puts one in the Kingdom of God. They represent falsely that the CHURCH is the Kingdom. They say we go to heaven at death, while JESUS said "NO MAN has ascended into heaven, except HE, Himself" (John 3:13).

   Excuse the above. But when I view and hear a false religious program, where they use enough truth to make it sound true to a deceived world then mislead the audience on so many basic TRUTHS, it is difficult for me not to be angry! The TRUTH is so PLAIN—so SIMPLE—I ask why do they have to pervert it, twist it, proclaim just the OPPOSITE?

   God give me added STRENGTH and POWER to continue on, even though I'm approaching ninety until GOD'S PLAIN TRUTH has reached the whole world. Thank you for your prayers!

   But where are we NOW—and WHAT LIES IMMEDIATELY AHEAD?

   The Book of Revelation, especially the 6th chapter explained by Jesus (Matthew 24), and the 13th and 17th chapters, give an overall summary.

   Jesus explained that when His Gospel of the Kingdom of God is preached in all the world for a witness to all nations, that is the sign of the nearness of Christ's coming to establish the Kingdom of God and to rule all nations for the next thousand years (Matt. 24:14). That will be a new world, and THE END of this present evil world.

   By about the middle of the first century the Gospel Message brought from God by Jesus Christ was perverted and a different gospel about the Person of Christ, denying His Message was proclaimed (Gal. 1:6-7). The true Gospel Message was not again proclaimed to the world until January, 1953—one hundred time-cycles later.

   Next is to come a flood of false preachers, claiming to preach in Christ's name (see II Cor. 11:13-15). We are seeing that now, deceiving the world.

   Next is to come the GREAT TRIBULATION (Matt. 24:21-22; see also Jeremiah 30 and Daniel 12:1).

   Immediately, cutting short the Great Tribulation, will be the "Day of the Lord"—the beginning of God's supernaturally ending the Tribulation and beginning the preliminary supernatural occurrences in the sky and plagues on earth, preliminary to Christ's coming in POWER and GLORY to reign.

   Next now, however, before and causing the Great Tribulation will be the resurrection of the medieval "Holy Roman Empire" in Europe. This has already had a preliminary start in the "Common Market" in Europe. Other conditions now occurring in the world will trigger this revived "United States of Europe." That includes the Russian situation, the Soviets invading Afghanistan, the death of Tito, which will tempt the USSR to move in, and at the same time force European nations to combine in one super-power combined group with force equal or superior to the USSR or the USA. We have been writing many articles on these events in The PLAIN TRUTH.

   This whole world situation, and progress of prophesied events from now to the VERY SOON COMING OF CHRIST can be understood ONLY by an UNDERSTANDING of where the United States and British nations are mentioned in biblical prophecy. We have published and sent out, free, millions of copies of the booklet THE UNITED STATES AND BRITAIN IN PROPHECY. No one can understand Bible prophecy without this knowledge. This book first was printed more than 45 years ago. It has been out of print, except for a greatly reduced and abbreviated version, since about 1972. Many or most of our members and co-workers have never read this VERY important book.

   We now have a new complete edition, 166 pages—perhaps the most beautiful booklet we have ever published. I will be happy to send you a copy, free for the asking, upon request.

   We are living in the most exciting, but also the most terrifying, days of world history. We are VERY NEAR THE END of this evil world. A HAPPIER world of PEACE and universal salvation to all who will is just around the corner.

   YOU NEED TO BE PRAYING. You need to be faithful in PAYING GOD HIS TITHE, and in GIVING generous offerings. Your giving makes it possible for us to give THE PRECIOUS GOSPEL MESSAGE to the WHOLE WORLD, by radio, TV, in print. Pray for me, please—and pray for this great Work of God, as I pray every day for YOU.